Page 15 of The Demigod

“The shadow thing?”

“Yeah. Apparently, I used it even as a small child to play hide-and-seek. Then, once, we were rehabilitating a wounded dove. My father kept saying that what it really needed was to sleep to recover. So as I was petting it, I told it to sleep. And… it did.”

“He never told you about his suspicions?”

“What were the chances that I wouldn’t have thought he was insane?” I said, shrugging. “I just thought I had great night vision and was good at ‘blending in’ when I was out at night. People seemed to look right through me. Honestly, it created a bit of an insecurity for most of my life.”

“Right. Because anyone who actually sees you wouldn’t stop and stare.”

“Anyway,” I said, uncomfortable with the way my heart fluttered at his words. “The last notebook was just before his death. He, apparently, saw the signs of the old gods waking up well before the rest of the world started to feel it.

“Knowing he was fading himself, he wanted to write down everything he could for me, detailing who he thought I was, who my mom and siblings are, and what he thought I should do if the worst comes to pass.”

“What was his advice?”

“Hide.”

“Not good at following advice, huh, sweetness?” Daemon asked as the woods started to thin, and I could see my car sitting mostly hidden behind a crumbling old stone shed.

“Maybe I could have. If so much suffering wasn’t happening. Already. I can’t imagine what is to come as the gods get bolder.

“Humans are… somewhat predictable with things like this. Once they realize what is going on, they will all break up into factions. They will worship their gods while shunning those who worship others. Wars will break out. Millions will suffer and die. While the gods laugh.”

“And feast on their battlefield blood,” Daemon said as he waited for me to open the door so he could deposit the man across the backseat.

“Yes.”

“So, you set off to restore balance.”

“My father had a lot to say about Nemesis,” I told him, turning over the car and cranking up the heat. “He thought she might be the only one of my sisters that I could get along with. Are you coming?” I asked when Daemon just stood outside the car.

“Don’t have to ask me twice,” he said, jumping in, then pressing his hands to the vents to warm them. “How’d you find these other siblings?”

“They weren’t exactly being subtle. In this area, suicide rates skyrocketed out of nowhere. Enough that it was actually being investigated by health officials. To me, it sounded like Eris, Oizys, and Moros running amok.”

“So you came, saw what you saw, and decided to find the missing sibling to restore balance.”

“That’s the story, yes.”

“What makes you think she’s around here somewhere?”

“Honestly? Because the gods are lazy. They want to party and overindulge. Then they want to toy with their powers. And rest. They don’t actually like work. They would never do more than the absolute bare minimum with Nemesis. They’d want her nearby to make sure she wasn’t breaking out of their prison.”

“But you’ve been looking for weeks.”

“The woods are vast and full of mountains, old buildings, and abandoned mines. It’s been a slow process. Especially because I have to take time to sneak into the basement to free the prisoners. And, well, do this,” I said, gesturing to my car.

More than half of my time was spent freeing innocents and getting them to safety and healthcare.

I knew that with each day I didn’t find Nemesis, I was only allowing for more suffering. But I also couldn’t bring myself to stand by and let these humans be tortured to death right before my eyes.

It was a never-ending battle with my conscience.

“Having help will, hopefully, make the difference,” I said aloud as I watched the headlights slicing through the unending dark of the backroads.

“How will I know what to look for?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But she’s a god. I’m assuming you will know her when you see her. Or maybe you will even be able to sense her power. I’m not sure.”

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